Interview: Mike Holmes on Building His Legacy

Mike Holmes has been a mainstay on North American television for 25 years. His construction instruction started when he was about six years old alongside his father, who taught him the value not only of hard work but of doing things the right way. It only makes sense that he would repeat the cycle and bring his children into the business.

When he first started on TV, Mike Jr. and Sherry were just kids, but at 36 and 39, respectively, the Holmes have come full circle. “We challenge each other, learn from each other, and the final product is all the better for it,” he tells HGTV. “We all believe in doing the job right, putting homeowners first, and never cutting corners.”

Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy isn’t just a title to Mike; it’s the end goal. “Sherry and Mike Jr. have grown up around construction and TV and I think it’s been a natural progression for them,” Mike says. When it’s time to put down the sledgehammer, he “would be a very proud dad if they chose to continue building the family legacy.”

By 19, Mike had started his first contracting business, excited by the prospect of solving problems and educating people on how to do it right. Correction: make it right. Permanently inked on his bicep, Mike’s famous slogan is “at the core of how I live and work.”

His passion for putting things in order married with a platform like HGTV was a match made in handy heaven. “My main goal has always been to educate homeowners, and getting a TV show allowed me to educate more than one homeowner at a time,” Mike says. “If I’ve helped raise the standard by educating people, then I’m doing something right, and something actually matters.”

Mike might be strict with building codes, but when it comes to taking a little time to unwind with his kids, there are no such guidelines. During a Season 1 episode of Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy, Kimmberly Capone, an interior designer who frequently appears on Holmes’ shows, had the idea of making a memory scrapbook for the homeowners. Father and son were all too happy to help fill the pages — and give viewers a sweet snapshot of their relationship in the process.

“It’s been one of the most rewarding parts of my career,” he tells HGTV. “When I first started on TV, Sherry and Mike Jr. were kids. Now, they’re experienced professionals, and we’ve come full circle — we’re working side by side, solving problems together.” While the problems are more often than not big, sometimes they’re worth setting aside for a few minutes of fun.

Just like his own father, Mike happily continued the cycle by teaching Sherry and Mike Jr. the tricks of the trade. According to him, his daughter and son appearing alongside him on screen was a natural progression. Having grown up around both construction and TV, they were the perfect candidates to be their dad’s co-contractors.

“Sherry is great at connecting with homeowners, asking the tough questions, and doesn’t back down when she has opinions to bring to the table,” Mike tells HGTV. “Mike Jr. has a real eye for quality and the technical side of the job, and is a skilled carpenter.”

For a man who never planned to be on television, Mike sure has left a lasting impression in his lengthy HGTV career. According to him, “It all just happened by chance.” While working behind the scenes on a show, he got to talking to an executive who liked his passion and directness. The next thing he knew, he was doing a pilot — and here we are 25 years later.

Of this coincidental legacy, Mike is nothing but grateful, especially for “all the people who continue to support the show and believe in making it right." He hopes those same supporters will remember him "as someone who fought for and educated homeowners on how to protect themselves and their homes.”

While helping homeowners from all walks of life, something unexpected happened: Mike earned himself fans — and one special super fan. After learning about Michael, a 25-year-old with autism, Mike planned the ultimate surprise for him and his parents. Their 1960s-era bungalow was in need of renovation to bring the home into the 21st century and make it right for Michael in the long term. Naturally, he loves construction, so Mike, Sherry and Mike Jr. made sure to include something special in Michael’s bedroom redo: hanging hard hats on the walls and “make it right” proudly emblazoned over the bed.

“You never expect someone to be that big of a fan, so meeting Michael and seeing what the show meant to him and his family was incredible,” Mike says. “But for me, the best part wasn’t being recognized — it was being able to give something back.”

Mike Jr. and Sherry have been working together on camera for more than 15 years across many shows, not counting over 30 years as brother and sister, but the siblings are closer than ever. Sherry has shared that Mike Jr. was the one who taught her how to read a tape measure when she first started in construction, and she served as a bridesmaid at his 2017 wedding to Lisa Marie Grant.

“The best part of working with family is that we probably see a lot more of each other now than if we didn’t work together,” Sherry told TV Insider. “Of course, too much togetherness can cause a bit of friction and sometimes we need a break, but in the end it’s all good. We are very lucky to have each other for support on and off the jobsite.”

Beyond educating homeowners and potential contractors on television, Mike is an active champion of the trades off-screen. In 2006, he started The Holmes Foundation and the Make It Right Charity to encourage Canadian college and trade-school students to finish their academic training and learn the necessary skills to become qualified skilled trades professionals. In its 20 years, the foundation and charity have awarded more than 155 scholarship awards.

“If sharing my experience encourages even one young person to pick up the tools, do the job right, and take pride in their work, then that’s a win,” Mike tells HGTV. “The future of our industry depends on the next generation, and it’s up to all of us to support them.” Sherry and Mike Jr. have joined their father in advocating for the cause. In particular, Sherry promotes the need for women in the skilled trades.

Getting older might not be fun, but that doesn’t mean friends and family won’t try to make it feel that way. During Season 2 of Holmes Family Rescue, Mike Jr. led an unsuspecting Mike outside to find his construction crew with balloons, blowers and party hats placed over top of hard hats in honor of his 59th birthday. The unexpected event was topped off with cake and a gifted photo of Meow Meow, his (at the time) new cat.

Aside from “making it right,” another thing Mike’s known for? His penchant for overalls. After 25 years on TV and more than 40 in the business, he’s pared down his collection from around 42 to 44 pairs to just a few. Once he’d worn a pair for a while, he would even sign them and give them to charity, which would auction them off. The pair he couldn’t part with is this special red one, which comes out of the closet around Christmas.

Beyond teaching Mike Jr. and Sherry the importance of quality craftsmanship, one of Mike’s passions has always been to educate homeowners so they can advocate for themselves. “For me, education is prevention,” Mike says. “If people know what to look for, if they understand what a proper job looks like, they’re less likely to get taken advantage of and more likely to hire the right people. That protects their investment, but more importantly, it protects their safety.”

For the inaugural season of Battle on the Beach, Mike brought his many years of experience to the seashore as a judge alongside Good Bones’ Mina Starsiak Hawk. “A lot of television shows that I do, I’ve been the judge, and that’s who I am,” he told The List. “I’m the guy that if you make a mistake, I’m going to see it and I’m going to explain it, which I love doing because I’m about education to all homeowners.”

Each week, Mike and Mina toured the three competing teams’ designated spaces and awarded a winner. At the end of the competition, Restaurant: Impossible designer Taniya Nayak’s team took the show’s first-ever win and $50,000. It proved to be a smart choice, as Taniya and her team took home the prize on Season 4, making her the first mentor to score big twice.

Usually Mike is running the show, but on Season 2 of Rock the Block, he teamed up with Windy City Rehab’s Alison Victoria for a chance to score bragging rights and a street named in their honor. It really flipped the script for the seasoned contractor, who told Realtor.com he was initially wary of competing because, “I’m usually the judge, jury and executioner for everything!"

Regardless of his feelings going into the competition, he and Alison worked well together. “Her designer’s perspective and my construction background complemented each other,” Mike tells HGTV. “I think we learned a lot from each other. We both wanted to create a space that was beautiful and built to last.”

They won two of the weekly challenges — the kitchen and dining room and the main bedroom and bathroom — but ultimately they lost to 100 Day Dream Home’s Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt.

“Most people only see the finished home — they don’t see what’s behind the walls, and that’s where problems start,” Mike says. And after so many years on the air, he’s helped more than 300 homeowners de- and reconstruct their properties and improve their lives.

“I don’t expect homeowners to know everything, but I think I have taught them to understand how to hire the right contractors by asking the right questions, get permits and to recognize when things aren’t done the right way,” he explains. “An informed homeowner is better equipped to make good decisions and hire the right professionals to avoid costly mistakes.”